54.

Winning the souls of grieving disciples

John 16:1-15

  • Session: 54
  • Week: 8
  • Day: 7
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Introduction

In this session, John 16: 1-15, Jesus talked about the sadness and grief of believers which will be caused by the unbelieving world through persecution. He said that the greatest resource during hostility is the presence of the Holy Spirit who works both to the world and to the church. Jesus indicated that biblical understanding of persecuting in the key to turning our sadness into joy while in this pilgrimage.

Objectives

By the end of this session the learner will have:

  • Understood the principles of victory in the persecution of believers as they travel through hostile cultures
  • Appreciated that the presence of the Holy Spirit and believer’s biblical understanding is the key to turning their persecution sadness into joy

Outline

  • Persecution preparedness
  • Victory during persecution
  • The role of the Holy Spirit
  • Turning Sadness to joy

Group Study Time

John 16:1-15

Connecting

  • Gather with two or more people for a community discovery bible study session.
  • Start with a heartfelt prayer, inviting God to guide and bless your understanding.
  • Explore the passage by reading it at least twice, using different Bible versions if available, then retell the story together as a group.
  • Reflect and share the challenges and blessings you experienced from the previous study.

Comprehending

  • Read John 16: 1-4. What is persecution? What form of persecution did Jesus told his disciples they will get? What is the importance of preparing believers for the coming persecution before it happens?
  • Why does the world persecute the church? When is the right time and age of telling young people about persecution?
  • Read John 16: 7-15. Who is the Holy Spirit? Who or what is the world? What is the work of the Holy Spirit to the persecutors-world? What is the role of the Holy Spirit to the persecuted believers? What else do you learn about the Holy Spirit?

Committing

  • Engage with the Bible—read, study, memorize, meditate, pray, listen, and live it out.
  • List three lessons you have learnt as an agent of change that you would like to put into practice and teach others about.
  • Take time and worship Jesus with the attributes revealed about Christ.
  • Use the SPACEPETS model, to assist you in putting God’s word into practice. Look for:
    • Sin to confess
    • Promise to claim
    • Attitude to change
    • Command to keep
    • Error to change
    • Prayer to make
    • Example to copy
    • Truth to obey and
    • Something praiseworthy

Communicating

  • Identify one person you can connect with and share the valuable insights and lessons you gained from this session.
  • Reach out to a new believer—either in person or by phone—and pray with them to support them through their challenges, including any concerns about attending church.
  • Create a new group and guide others through this study to help them grow in their understanding.

Post Lesson Teaching Summary

Great job completing the study! Take a moment to listen to this summary to reinforce your group’s understanding of the text and ensure you’re all on the same page. We’re here to support your learning journey!

Winning the souls of grieving disciples

John 16:1-15

John 16:1-15

  • Scripture Focus: John 16:1-15—Jesus warns disciples of hatred and promises the Holy Spirit during a long night before His crucifixion.
  • Context:
    • Disciples didn’t understand Jesus’ words about leaving and returning (John 14, 16); He urged them not to be troubled.
    • Assured victory through prayer and His departure’s benefit—preparing a place and returning for them.
    • Used a marriage analogy, calling them beloved, but their hearts lost peace, love, and joy.
  • Joy and Grief:
    • Heart guards life’s issues (peace, love, joy); disciples’ joy leaked out amid grief.
    • Three joy types: joyless believer, believer with the Lord’s joy (strength), overflowing joy (bearing fruit, spreading joy).
    • Jesus wrote to restore joy, aiming for completeness (John 15:11).
  • World’s Hatred:
    • World (system opposing God) hated God, Jesus without cause, and will hate disciples.
    • Hatred targets their faith, not them personally; if the world loved Jesus, it would love them.
    • Warning prevents falling away (apostasy, backsliding) amid grief’s cycle, which could lead to depression if unbroken.
  • Purpose of Warning (John 16:1-4):
    • Told disciples in advance so they’d remember and not fall away when persecuted.
    • Predicted expulsion from synagogues and killings justified as service to God, due to ignorance of the Father and Jesus.
    • Didn’t warn earlier because He was with them; now departing, He prepares them.
  • Benefit of Departure (John 16:5-7):
    • Disciples grieved His leaving, missing the gain; Jesus said it’s for their good.
    • His departure enables the Holy Spirit (Advocate) to come; otherwise, He wouldn’t.
  • Holy Spirit’s Role (John 16:8-15):
    • To the World: Convicts of sin, righteousness, and judgment during persecution.
    • To Believers: Guides into all truth, speaks what He hears from Jesus, reveals the future, glorifies Jesus by sharing His truth.
    • Threefold presence: with all (convicting), in believers (encouraging, advocating), upon believers (post-glorification).
    • Sustains through hatred; where evil increases, grace abounds more, lifting believers.
  • Encouragement:
    • Focus on gain (Holy Spirit) over loss (Jesus’ physical presence).
    • Holy Spirit continues Jesus’ ministry, preventing depression, turning grief to strength.